**MEMBERS ARE ADVISED THAT CLOSE VOTES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY, INCLUDING POTENTIAL VOTES ON AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 2216 – MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, RELATING TO PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS (PLA) AND DAVIS-BACON. ANY EXPECTED ABSENCES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE WHIP’S OFFICE AT x5-3130.

**Members are also advisedthat the GOP Leadership has announced that votes will occur after 7:00 p.m. when the House is considering Appropriations bills, therefore the House may be voting late into the evening today and tomorrow.

For H.R. 2216 and H.R. 2217, the Rules committee has recommended an open Rule that allows any amendments that comply with House Rules to be considered. The Rule provides for one hour of general debate for each bill equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations. The Rule allows any Member to submit an amendment under the 5-minute Rule, but allows the Chair to give priority in recognition to those amendments pre-printed in the Congressional Record. It also allows pro forma amendments and motions to recommit with or without instructions.

The Rule also provides that pending adoption of a conference report on the budget resolution for FY 2014, the spending allocations for House Committees outlined in the Republican (Ryan) Budget Resolution would be considered to be the allocations under the Congressional Budget Act. Once again, House Republicans are breaking the Budget Control Act agreement on appropriations to push through even more spending cuts that target critical programs for the American people. Instead of following regular order and going to conference on a budget that would replace the sequester, Republicans are pretending that we have gone to conference in order to make it possible for the Appropriations Committee to set their spending levels in accordance to the extreme Ryan Budget.

The Rules Committee rejected a number of Democratic amendments to the Rule, including one offered by Mr. Van Hollen and Ms. DeLauro that would have replaced the sequester with a balanced approach to deficit reduction. The Committee also rejected a motion by Ms. Slaughter to strike the section deeming the Ryan Budget to be used to set appropriation levels and insert language which calls on the Speaker to follow regular order and appoint conferees to a FY 2014 budget conference. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

H.R. 2216– Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 (Rep. Culberson – Appropriations) (One Hour of Debate). H.R. 2216 appropriates $73.3 billion in discretionary budget authority for veterans' programs and military construction for FY 2014, which is 3.4% higher than the FY 2013 level under sequestration. Accounting for mandatory programs including veterans’ health benefits, the measure provides a total of $152.8 billion in spending.

Republicans are developing this year's spending bills based on the $967 billion discretionary spending cap included in the Republican (Ryan) Budget Resolution rather than the $1.058 trillion cap agreed upon in the Budget Control Act. As a result, this bill leaves even less room for other agencies and programs in appropriations bills to be considered later this year, as Republicans try and ‘frontload’ some of the appropriations bills while still promising $91 billion in appropriations cuts.

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Wednesday, June 5: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to begin consideration of H.R. 2217 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014 (Rep. Carter – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule).

The Daily Quote

“The sequester was allowed to happen three months ago, and federal employees are being furloughed, medical research grants frozen, classrooms backed by Head Start closed, Navy ships moored and fighter jets grounded. With no sign that lawmakers will reverse the current sequester, Congress now is setting off to make appropriations for fiscal 2014 on a path that is paved with more legislative fiction.”